NEW STUDY REVEALS…"The Death of Digital Central Office Switching has been prematurely announced…"

DIGITAL SWITCHING EVOLUTION

- Service Enhancements - Maximizing Carrier Profit Contribution - Worldwide Status & Forecasts -

Bethesda, MD, October 10, 2001 - Dittberner Associates, Inc., an internationally recognized telecommunications consulting firm, has recently announced the newest update release of its Global Telecom Technology Series titled THE Dittberner PERSPECTIVE, "Digital Switching Evolution". The just released Edition 44 reflects the fact that the digital switch on-order position currently is still very strong - but not in Western countries. Worldwide, digital central office switching has continued its high demand in developing countries. Further, Next Generation switching has found little acceptance as yet; few countries have any firm plans for digital switch replacements - and none for Class 5 local digital switch replacements

Top 10 Suppliers - Installed Base Worldwide Market Share
(April 2001 Digital Port Count [in millions] - Wireline  & Wireless)

The report provides an in-depth analysis of the evolution of digital central office switching in public switched networks. The report is written in two volumes:

Volume 1: Service Enhancements - Maximizing Carrier Profit Contribution

• Recent improvements and enhancements in digital switching - technical description
• Drivers of the evolution of existing digital switches
• Recent digital switching system service enhancements and their business cases
• Major switch supplier digital switch evolution by service application category
• Comparative analysis of service enhancement profit contribution
• Conclusions and recommendations on switch / service enhancements
  

Volume 1 specifically includes:

• Examination of methods by which either new revenues can be generated from an existing traditional TDM telephone network, or the cost of operation can be reduced. - Includes the most promising new services that require adding equipment either in or around the local exchange.
• Analysis of principal drivers impacting the evolution of digital central office switching equipment technology and implementation.
• Detailed analysis of 25 service enhancements capable of achieving significant new revenues and/or cost savings rapidly, based upon making modest investment in or around existing digital central office switching systems.
• A comprehensive overview of the availability of the enhancements described above by major Digital Switching Equipment Vendor - including updated technical information on recent improvements made by such vendors to their digital switches.
• Comparative analysis of enhancement profit contribution - of Initial Capital Outlay; Payback Period; Net Present Value; and Internal Rate of Return.
• Conclusions and recommendations resulting from these analyses for different carrier classes and for telecom equipment vendors.

Volume 2: Worldwide Status & Forecasts

• Provides measures of the overall penetration of digital switching technology in public telecommunications networks worldwide
• Measures the relative success of each supplier in each major Telecom Operator Network, Country, Region and Worldwide
• Provides forecasts of the growth (positive and negative) of digital switching over the next 8 years - providing a realistic metric of the impact of both next generation packet switching and of cellular displacement of wireline subscribers

Volume 2 specifically includes:

• Detailed analyses of the installed and on-order positions of all digital switch suppliers.
• Analyses of both the supply side and the demand side of the global market for digital switching systems.
• Analyses by manufacturer and by country are provided at several levels of detail.

This report provides invaluable guidance from the perspective of:

• Incumbent Carriers
• Digital Switch Suppliers
• NGN and Voice-over-Packet Infrastructure Vendors

This 1350 page multi-client digital switching evolution study is available for immediate delivery, in print and CD-ROM formats.

Founded in 1966, Dittberner Associates, Inc. is one of the world's leading management consulting firms specializing in the field of telecommunications. Dittberner has delivered strategic guidance to the leading telecommunications service providers and equipment suppliers of the world for over 35 years.

This report is the latest report in the on-going THE Dittberner PERSPECTIVE (formerly Project ESS) - A Global Telecom Technology Series written and published by Dittberner Associates, Inc. for the last 22 years. Topics that have been addressed in recent reports in this advanced technology series include:

• Voice-over-Packet (ATM & IP) - Media Gateways & Softswitches
• Operations Support Systems for Next Generation Networks
• Fixed Wireless Access to the Public Switched Telephone Network
• Next Generation Switching Systems for Public Networks & Worldwide Digital Switching Status
• Broadband Wireline Access Systems for Public Networks - Preparing for Convergence
• ATM / IP Switching in Public Networks
  

For more details about this report,
Please look at our web page and contact us at :
Sales
Dittberner Associates, Inc.
e-mail: sales@dittberner.com
www.dittberner.com
Tel 1 301 652 8350

Dittberner Associates, Inc. is an international market research and consulting firm specializing in the analysis of advanced technologies for the global public telecommunications network. Through its multi-client study series, THE Dittberner PERSPECTIVE, and custom studies, the company provides guidance in many areas of the telecommunications industry including: technology assessment and forecasting, market requirements analysis and market forecasts for telecom equipment and services, public and private network planning, corporate and business planning, new venture / new business development, and tariff and regulatory policy formulation assistance. Fore more information, visit the company's website at www.dittberner.com

Dittberner Associates, Inc. 4641 Montgomery Avenue, Suite 100, Bethesda, MD 20814 USA

Telephone: +1 (888) 652-8382 Fax: +1 (301) 657-8084 E-mail: sales@dittberner.com